1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dryer for the refrigerant circuit of a refrigerator. Such dryers include a usually metallic housing that accommodates a drying agent, through which the refrigerant flows when the refrigerator is in operation and which has the task of absorbing and binding residual fractions of water in the refrigerant.
When such refrigerators are being assembled, after the refrigerating circuit has been filled with the refrigerant the air contained in the refrigerant circuit has to be removed therefrom. This is carried out with the aid of evacuating lines that are closed hermetically after evacuation has taken place. A preferred location for mounting such an evacuation line is the dryer. A known possibility for mounting the evacuating line on the dryer is to equip the housing of the dryer with three passage orifices, one being provided for connecting an inlet line for the refrigerant, a second being provided for connecting an outlet line and the third being provided for connecting the evacuating line. In a form of construction of a dryer that is shown in FIG. 1 and is used in practice by the applicant, its housing 1xe2x80x2 has an elongate cylindrical configuration, at the ends of which are produced passage orifices 2xe2x80x2, 3xe2x80x2, 4xe2x80x2 in the form of connection pieces. At the upper end of the housing 1xe2x80x2, as seen in the figure, two passage orifices 3xe2x80x2 and 4xe2x80x2 serve for receiving a refrigerant supply line 5xe2x80x2 that comes from a condenser and through which the refrigerant is supplied under high pressure to the dryer and for receiving an evacuating line 7xe2x80x2, respectively.
A capillary tube connected to the small-format passage orifice 2xe2x80x2 at the lower end of the housing serves for the expansion of the refrigerant after passage through the dryer. The double inlet required at the upper end makes the housing relatively complicated and costly to produce.
Another dryer housing used by the applicant is shown in FIG. 2. In this housing 1xe2x80x3, the double connection at one end is avoided so that the housing 1xe2x80x3 can be formed from copper in a cost-effective and simple way, for example, by shaping of a tubular piece. In this housing 1xe2x80x3, a first passage orifice 2xe2x80x3 is provided to receive both the evacuating line 7xe2x80x3 and the capillary tube 6; the supply line 5 is connected to the second passage orifice 3xe2x80x3.
A notch 8 is impressed into that end portion of the evacuating line 7xe2x80x3 to be introduced into the passage orifice 2xe2x80x3 and is dimensioned such that an end portion of the capillary tube 6 can be inserted into the notch 8 and the two end portions can be introduced jointly into the passage orifice 2 and soldered therein.
However, this solution is unsatisfactory for several reasons. On one hand, as a result of the notch 8, the free cross section of the evacuating line 7xe2x80x3 is appreciably reduced so that the conductance of the evacuating line 7xe2x80x3 is markedly reduced, as compared with an unshaped line 7xe2x80x2. The result of this, however, is that in a refrigerant circuit with the dryer from FIG. 2, the evacuating operation takes up markedly more time than in the case of a dryer from FIG. 1 with corresponding dimensions.
A further problem is that the impressing of the notch 8 must be carried out with high accuracy so as not to impair the free cross-section of the evacuating line 7xe2x80x3 any more than is absolutely necessary, and in order to prevent the situation where the end region of the latter is pressed into the width and, for this reason, can no longer be introduced into the passage orifice 2.
A further difficulty arises when the dryer from FIG. 2 is being mounted. If the capillary tube 6 is introduced into the passage orifice 2 before the evacuating line 7xe2x80x3, the capillary tube 6 cannot be fastened in the latter before the evacuating line 7xe2x80x3 is put in place; if the evacuating line 7xe2x80x3 is introduced first, the capillary tube 6 can no longer be subsequently pushed in. Consequently, three parts, to be precise, the housing 1xe2x80x3, the evacuating line 7xe2x80x3, and the capillary tube 6, have to be handled and connected to one another simultaneously, which is a laborious process. If the notch 8 is bent too sharply, moreover, it may happen that the capillary tube 6 comes to bear on the inner wall of the notch 8 at two points, thus making it difficult for solder to penetrate when the three parts are being soldered to one another. This may result in leaktightness or leakproofing problems.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a dryer for a refrigerant circuit of a refrigerator and method for mounting the dryer that overcome the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and that has a housing that can be manufactured simply and cost-effectively and that can easily be mounted and reliably sealed off.
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a dryer for a refrigerant circuit of a refrigerator, including a housing having first and second passage orifices, a cross-section of the first passage orifice defining a circular main portion and a lateral bulge.
Because the dryer of the invention requires only two passage orifices for the connection of three lines, it can be manufactured simply and cost-effectively. The cross-sectional shape of the first outlet orifice with a circular main portion and with a lateral bulge makes it possible to introduce and mount two lines of different diameter, the mounting of the narrower line not being obstructed when that having the larger cross-section has been mounted previously.
Mounting is particularly facilitated when the evacuating line carries a projection at its end provided for introduction into the housing. This projection can be led, during the introduction of the evacuating line, through the lateral bulge that is, then, still free; subsequently, the evacuating line is rotated about its axis so that the projection is no longer in alignment with the lateral bulge and the evacuating line is, thereby, secured against falling out, even when it is not yet connected firmly to the housing of the dryer. After rotation, the capillary tube can be pushed into the lateral bulge that is, then, free again.
The projection at the end of the evacuating line may be formed in a simple way by the expansion of the end of the evacuating line, for example by the introduction of a mandrel into the line.
The proposed dryer construction is suitable particularly for mounting in a refrigerator having a downwardly oriented first passage orifice. To be precise, securing the evacuating line against falling out makes it easier to solder the latter and the capillary tube to the housing only after the dryer has been mounted in the refrigerator, thereby avoiding stresses at the soldered joint that could otherwise arise if lines connected to the housing have to be shaped during the mounting of a ready-soldered refrigerating circuit in the refrigerator.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the evacuating line has an end to be introduced into the housing and a projection at the end.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the main portion has a circular shape corresponding to an outer circumferential shape of an evacuating line, the evacuating line has an end to be introduced into the housing and a projection at the end, and the main portion and the lateral bulge are, together, adapted to receive the end of the evacuating line having the projection.
With the objects of the invention in view, in a refrigerator having a refrigerant circuit with a capillary tube for outletting refrigerant and an evacuating line, there is also provided a dryer, including a housing having first and second passage orifices, and a cross-section of the first passage orifice defining a circular main portion having a shape corresponding to the evacuating line and receiving the evacuating line and a lateral bulge having a shape corresponding to the capillary tube and receiving the capillary tube.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the main portion and the lateral bulge together receive the end of the evacuating line having the projection.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided a refrigerator, including a refrigerant circuit having a capillary tube for outletting refrigerant, the capillary tube having a outer capillary shape and an evacuating line having an end, a projection at the end, an outer evacuating shape, and an outer end shape at the projection, and a dryer having a housing having first and second passage orifices and a cross-section of the first passage orifice defining a circular main portion having a shape corresponding to the outer evacuating shape, the circular main portion receiving the evacuating line, a lateral bulge having a shape corresponding to the outer capillary shape, the lateral bulge receiving the capillary tube, and the main portion and the lateral bulge together receiving the end of the evacuating line having the projection.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, there is provided a supply line connected to the second passage orifice.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the second passage orifice faces upwards.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided a method for mounting a dryer, including the steps of providing a housing having first and second passage orifices, a cross-section of the first passage orifice defining a circular main portion and a lateral bulge, introducing an evacuating line of a refrigerant circuit of a refrigerator into the main portion of the first passage orifice and securing the evacuating line against falling out, and subsequently introducing the capillary tube into the bulge.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided a method for mounting a dryer, including the steps of providing a refrigerator with a refrigerant circuit having a capillary tube for outletting refrigerant having an outer capillary shape and an evacuating line having an outer evacuating shape, providing a dryer housing having first and second passage orifices, a cross-section of the first passage orifice defining a circular main portion having a shape corresponding to the outer evacuating shape and a lateral bulge having a shape corresponding to the outer capillary shape, introducing an evacuating line of a refrigerant circuit of a refrigerator into the main portion of the first passage orifice and securing the evacuating line against falling out, and subsequently introducing the capillary tube into the bulge.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided a method for mounting a dryer, including the steps of providing a refrigerator with a refrigerant circuit having a capillary tube for outletting refrigerant, the capillary tube having a outer capillary shape and an evacuating line having an end, a projection at the end, an outer evacuating shape, and an outer end shape at the projection, providing a dryer housing having first and second passage orifices, a cross-section of the first passage orifice defining a circular main portion having a shape corresponding to the outer evacuating shape and a lateral bulge having a shape corresponding to the outer capillary shape, introducing the end of the evacuating line into the main portion of the first passage orifice with the projection engaging into the bulge, securing the evacuating line against falling out, and subsequently introducing the capillary tube into the bulge.
In accordance with yet a further mode of the invention, a projection is provided at the evacuating line, the evacuating line is introduced into the first passage orifice with the projection engaging into the bulge, and the evacuating line is secured against falling out by rotating the evacuating line in the first passage orifice.
In accordance with yet an added mode of the invention, a projection is provided at the evacuating line, the evacuating line is introduced into the first passage orifice with the projection engaging into the bulge until the projection enters an interior of the housing, and the evacuating line is secured against falling out by rotating the evacuating line in the first passage orifice to contact the projection against the interior of the housing.
In accordance with a concomitant mode of the invention, there are provided the steps of providing an edge at the first passage orifice, preforming a bend at the capillary tube, and introducing the capillary tube into the bulge until the bend butts against the edge at the passage orifice.
Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a dryer for a refrigerator and method for mounting the dryer, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.